Model Vulnerability Analyst.
Philadelphia.
$174,000
median salary, 9% above the national average
$131,000 to $229,000. Updated for 2026.
The numbers.
Everything you need to negotiate with confidence.
If you are evaluating a Model Vulnerability Analyst offer in Philadelphia, PA, here is the reality: $131,000 to $229,000, with $174,000 as the midpoint. 9% above the national average. Compensation scales with the breadth of vulnerability classes analyzed and depth of model architecture knowledge. Do not accept the first number.
Salary range
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How Philadelphia compares
Philadelphia, PA
$174,000
Cost of living: 9% above average
National Average
$160,000
Philadelphia is $14,000 above
What you should know
Here is what the Model Vulnerability Analyst market actually looks like in Philadelphia. Philadelphia combines a robust healthcare and life sciences sector with established finance and higher education institutions. The city's pharmaceutical corridor is among the strongest in the country. Tech growth has accelerated, particularly in health tech and enterprise software, offering salaries that stretch further than in nearby New York. Compensation scales with the breadth of vulnerability classes analyzed and depth of model architecture knowledge. Analysts who can identify weaknesses in transformer, diffusion, and reinforcement learning models earn premiums. Experience with automated vulnerability scanning for ML models and ability to communicate risk to non-technical stakeholders drives top salary offers.
Junior vulnerability analysts begin at $100,000 to $120,000 running standard model evaluations. Mid-level analysts conducting deep architecture analysis earn $140,000 to $160,000. Senior analysts leading vulnerability research programs reach $185,000 to $210,000, with principal researchers exceeding $240,000. In Philadelphia, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.
Base salary is not the full picture. Bonuses of 12 to 20% are standard, with some organizations offering discovery bonuses for novel vulnerability classes. Equity at AI security companies adds meaningful value, typically 15 to 25% of base salary in vesting grants. And on the tax side: pennsylvania has a flat 3.07% state income tax, but Philadelphia adds a 3.75% city wage tax for residents. This combined local burden is worth factoring into salary negotiations. When someone quotes you $174,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Account for the Philadelphia wage tax in your ask. Request a 5 to 8% premium over suburban offers to offset the city's local tax on all earned income. The range for Model Vulnerability Analysts in Philadelphia runs from $131,000 to $229,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Top industries in Philadelphia
Negotiating in Philadelphia
Account for the Philadelphia wage tax in your ask. Request a 5 to 8% premium over suburban offers to offset the city's local tax on all earned income.